BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 3
By Fidan Babayeva - Trend:
The main goal of the Azerbaijan Pomegranate Producers and Exporters Association for 2020 is to increase exports to the UAE and France, as well as to enter the markets of other European countries with the support of the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO), Chairman of the of association Farhad Garashov told Trend.
“In 2019, 18 tons of Azerbaijani pomegranates were exported to France and interest in it in this country is growing annually. It is planned to significantly expand pomegranate export to France in 2020,” said the chairman.
“Even at present, despite the situation in the world, negotiations are ongoing to expand exports. Moreover, during participation in all international and local exhibitions organized by AZPROMO, the association conducts market research,” he noted.
In 2019, large volumes of pomegranate concentrate and juice were exported to Russia and Ukraine, said Garashov.
After the volume of export-oriented pomegranate products was sold, the remaining products are mainly sold in the domestic market of Azerbaijan, he noted.
“In 2019, the country’s pomegranate export amounted to 10 percent of the total volume of pomegranate produced in Azerbaijan. In 2020, the association conducted work to increase productivity and export potential. However, it is also important to increase the purchasing power for the product, which is currently at a low level due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Garashov added.
Azerbaijan Pomegranate Producers and Exporters Association has been operating since November 2016.
In 2019, the association was extremely beneficial, so the number of members of the organization increased almost 10 times. By the end of 2019, the number of association’s members grew to 345 compared to 34 in 2018. The association also works closely with international organizations on developing pomegranate production.
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